Gutierrez-Garcia was celebrating St. Patrick's Day at a couple of bars along Main Street in Longmont. She told friends she was getting a ride home.

A short time after she went missing, police searched a lake looking for her with no luck.

“It is our belief that Rita is no longer alive, and her body has not been found," police said in a statement. "Anytime someone disappears, an investigation into how they conduct their everyday lives is done, and knowing how steady, reliable and loved Rita was, we now expect the worst."

Police have not issued a description of the person of interest in Gutierrez-Garcia's disappearance. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.